During the operation of shearing machines, holders are commonly utilized to move relatively large sheet metal workpieces relative to a pair of blades. Product pieces cut from the workpiece by the blades are dropped onto a discharge conveyor which is disposed on a side of the blades opposite from the holder. When a relatively small remainder or scrap piece remains in the holder, it is commonly opened and the scrap piece is dropped onto the discharge conveyor. Since the remainder or scrap piece is relatively small, it may inadvertently drop into the clearance space between the discharge conveyor and the blades.